Healing the hearts of 50 precious Sri Lankan children

Saturday, 28 May 2022 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan, in collaboration with Gift of Life International and with the aid of a generous donation by Linde’s Global Giving Program, has announced the sponsorship of 50 heart surgeries, prioritised for children on the Lady Ridgeway Hospital waiting list and diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

This is the second program for the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan, which successfully facilitated 50 surgeries in 2019/2020 through a Rotary Global Grant initiated and sponsored by Gift of Life International and Gift of Life Sri Lanka, allowing life-changing care for 50 young children and giving them new hope for a happy and healthy future.

Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan Past President and Heart Surgery Project Chair Dinali Dandeniya stated: “We are truly thankful for the generous donation by Linde’s Global Giving Program, which continues to support the Rotary Club’s on-going work to allow these children chances for normal and healthy lives. These timely interventions rescue children from the risk that their ailments will develop into far more serious, even fatal conditions.”

The children will be operated on by healthcare professionals at two of Sri Lanka’s leading private hospitals, Asiri Surgical and Lanka Hospital in Colombo. Lady Ridgeway Hospital will continue to provide follow-up care to each patient post-operatively to ensure they are on the road to a comfortable recovery. Lady Ridgeway Hospital will refer patients for treatment under two cardiothoracic surgeons who work at the hospital, as well as at the private hospitals where the surgeries will take place – Dr. Kanchana Singappuli and Dr. S. Mugunthan. All surgeries and post-operative care will be provided at no cost to the families and children undergoing care.

Speaking on the continued success of the project, Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan President Gerald de Seram had this to say: “It is truly gratifying to be able to see the unyielding efforts of the club and its members result in life-changing initiatives such as this. This is what it means to be a part of Rotary. To be able to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

This is just one of many flagship projects undertaken by the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan, a club dedicated to helping the underprivileged children of Sri Lanka. Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with the mission of ‘making our world more productive’. Linde Sri Lanka MD Radesh Daluwatte stated: “Helping the community is an integral part of our company’s sustainable development program and one of our core values. We are happy to be associated with this noble cause.”